Round 1 play (2pts):
Charles Howell to beat Stephen Ames +138 @ Paddy Power
Surprised to see Howell as the underdog in this matchup. He is coming off a top-10 finish (and a closing 62) in the McGladrey Classic two weeks ago and has missed just one cut since the start of July; by contrast, Ames is coming off a missed cut last week and his last top-10 finish was back in March. In terms of suitability to this week's venue, Howell has said previously that he always looks forward to this Vegas event and he hasn't missed a single year since his debut in 2000. He missed the cut that year, but over the next nine years, he has amassed five top-20 finishes at Summerlin. Ames has missed the cut in each of the last two years here and the only time that he has finished inside the top-40 was back in 1999.
[unofficial rd1 system plays: Perez tb Palmer +100; Perez tb Atwal +100